Water-cooled wire block



Aug. 29, 1939. c, TlDEMAN 2,171,461

WATER-COOLED WIRE BLOCK Filed May 18, 1938 REF'Rl cram-ore 5T0 BAG E'.

- lawn/5n Jr/ E JZdewmn m a W Patented Aug. 29, 1939 UNITED STATES wATEn-coomn wmE BLOCK Carl E. Tldeman, Worcester, Mass., assignor of one-half to Verner G. Anderson, Worcester,

Mass.

Application May 18, 1938, Serial No. 208,633

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to a watercooled wire block for wire drawing machines and particularly to a block which provides for directing a cooling fluid onto a portion of the block adjacent to the rim on which the wire is wound.

In prior devices of this character cooling of the block has been accomplished by various mechanism supplementary to the block, as for example, the blower mechanism of the McIlvried Patent No. 1,950,901, in whch structure the blower is driven by the same motor which rotates the block. Other cooling means have been a water jet from which water under'pressure is directed against the inner surface of the block. In either event the cooling structure is accessory to the block and requires a supplementary mechanism in addition to the block structure to provide for cooling of the latter.

One of the principal features of the invention resides in providing for cooling the block by mechanism which is an integral part of the block and which requires no additional structure for directing the cooling fluid against the block surfaces. I

Obviously the portion of the block which requires the most intense cooling action is that portion of the block around which the wire is coiled, since the wire, as it coils on the block, is hot by reason of the drawing operation. One of the features of the invention resides in a structure which provides for circulating a 0001- ing fluid over the inside surface of the block at the point where the cooling action is most essential. The invention also contemplates the use of a fluid, the temperature of which is accurately controlled, and this fluid may be an extremely cold fluid for cooling the block. To this end the invention involves a refrigerating unit and a fluid circulating pump by which to circulate the uid.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a block embodying the invention. a

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the block 0 Fig. l, with the water circulating system shown diagrammatically.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view along the line 33 of Fi 2. Y I

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view substantially at right angles to the section of Fig. 3.

Like reference characters refer to like parts'ln the difierent figures. p l

' With the reference to the drawing, and particularly to Fig. 2, the wire block I has .arim" 2 with an outer substantially cylindrical-surface 3 at the upper part thereof and a slightly. conical surface 4 belowthe surface 3. The wire as it comes from the die is wrapped around the surface 4 and is guided onto the surface 4 by a substantially radially extending flange 5 having itsupper surface 6 extending outwardly and slightly downwardly from the rim 2 at the lower edge of the surface 4. A cylindrical flange 1 extends downwardly from the outer edge of the flange 5.

The wire block I has a hub 8 integral with the rim of the block by which the block is secured to a driving shaft, not shown. The hub has an integral radially extending flange 9 which at its outer edge is integral with an annular flange III which is integral with the rim 2 and extends inwardly and downwardly from the central portion.

of the rim. The radial flange 9 and the annular flange l0 intersect at a point substantially midway of the upperand lower edges of the flange Ill. The flange l0 defines with the lower portion of the rim 2 an annular chamber ll open at the bottom, having a substantially triangular cross section. Between the rim 2 and the flange 10 are positioned a plurality of webs l2, each of which has an inclination of about to the horizontal. The webs extend from the lower edges of the rim and flange to a point substantially in line with the lower edge of the surface 4 to define openings I3 through which the cooling fluid passes, as will hereinafter appear.v Any suitable number of these' webs may be provided, there being four in the arrangement shown, and these webs are utilized for directing cooling fluid upwardly against the inner surface of the rim opposite to the surface 4.

The block I is positioned above a ring H which may be an integral part of the base of the wire drawing machine or which maybe fastened to the upper side of the base, as desired. In either event the ring I4 hasa central opening l5 and upwardly extending cylindrical flanges l6 and I1 concentric to the opening and spaced apart slightly wider than the spacing of the rim 2 and flange Ill at their lower edges to receive the rim and flange therebetween. The flanges l6 and I1 define a ring-shaped tank l8 which is filled with a cooling fluid to a point slightly below the upper edges of the. flanges, the depth of the fluid being controlled by an overflow pipe l9. The lower edges of the rim. 2 and flange l0, and thus the lower edges of the webs l2, dip into the bath of cooling fluid and, during a rotation of the block, causes a movement of the fluid upwardly along the webs and through the openings l3 between the upper ends of the web l2, the flange Ill and the rim 2. Since this structure provides for directing a cooling fluid against the inner surface of the rim adjacent the surface 4, it is clear that the block at all times is kept sufliclently cool to function satisfactorily and to provide for controlled cooling of the wire. The number of webs [2 may be controlled to determine the amount of rim surface which is cooled by the cooling fluid. The inertia of the cooling fluid is sufficient to cause a movement of the fluid upward ly along the webs as the block rotates, and centrifugal force will direct the fluid outwardly against the rim, as shown in Fig. 2.

In certain instances it is desirable to assure a cooling fluid of a definite temperature, preferably of an extremely low temperature, for controlled cooling of the block, and to this end the overflow pipe I9 is connected to a storage tank 20. Cooling fluid from the storage tank is pumped through a refrigerating apparatus 20' of any suitable well known character, shown diagrammatically, and directed back into the ringshaped tank through an inlet opening 2| by a suitable pump.22, also diagrammatically represented. It will be apparent that any suitable fluid may be utilized as a cooling fluid and the temperature of the fluid from the refrigerating apparatus can be accurately controlled so that the surface 4 of the block may be kept at a constant temperature.

Radially outward beyond the ring-shaped tank, is an annular recess 23 on the ring I which is open a; the top, and into which the flange 1 extends to prevent any of the fluidwithin the ring-shaped tank from splashing out and thereby contacting the wire, or from escaping to the upper side of the ring H or the base.

It will be understood, of course, that when the block is properly mounted within a wire drawing machine, the drive shaft, not shown, for the block, holds the block in predetermined relation to the ring l4, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the rim 2 of the block and the flange l do not come in contact with any parts of the ring I.

In order to limit swirling of the cooling fluid in the tank l8 as a. result of the movement of the wire block, and in order to assure a movement of the cooling fluid upwardly along the webs II, the fluid may be directed into the tank l8, as shown in Fig. 3. With reference to this figure, the inlet opening 2| is in the form of a nozzle increasing in width radially of the tank l8, as best shown in Fig. 4, and extending obliquely upwardly in a direction opposite to that of the rotation of the block, as in Fig. 3 so that the fluid enters the tank in a direction to be projected upwardly along the webs i2. This obliquely directed stream of fluid also minimizes swirling of the fluid in the tank l8 resulting from the rotation of the block.

I claim:

1'. In a wire drawing apparatus, a wire block rotatable about a vertical axis, said block having a rim about which a wire is coiled, means'beneath the block having a recess for a poolof cooling fluid, and webs on the block and engageable with the fluid in the recess for directing pooling fluid against the rim as the block rotates.

2. In a wirevdrawing apparatus, a wire block rotatable about a vertical axis, said block having a rim about which a wire is coiled, means beneath the block having a recess for a pool of cooling fluid, and webs on the block and engageable with the fluid in the recess for directing cooling fluid against the rim in response to rotation of the block.

3. In a wire drawing apparatus, a wire block rotatable about a vertical axis, said block having a rim about which a wire is coiled, means beneath the block having a recess for a pool of cooling fluid, and upwardly slanting webs on the inner surface of the rim of the block, the lower ends of said webs engaging in the pool of cooling fluid for directing cooling fluid against the rim as the block rotates. I

4. In a wire drawing apparatus, a wire block rotatable about a vertical axis, said block having a rim about which a wire is coiled, means beneath the block having a recess for a pool of cooling fluid, and upwardly slanting webs on the'inner surface of the rim of the block, the lower ends of said webs engaging in the pool of cooling fluid for directing cooling fluid against the rim as the block rotates, the upper ends of said webs being located on the inner side of the rim opposite to the portion about which the wire is coiled.

5. In a wire drawing apparatus, a wire block rotatable about a vertical axis, said block having a rim about which a wire is coiled, means beneath the block having a recess for a pool of cooling fluid, and upwardly slanting webs on thu inner surface of the rim of the block, the lower ends of said webs engaging in the pool of cooling fluid for directing cooling fluid against the rim as the block rotates, said block having a flange extending inwardly and downwardly from the rim with the webs positioned between said flange and the rim.

6. In a wire drawing apparatus, a wire block rotatable about a vertical axis, said block having a rim about which wire is coiled, means beneath the block for providing a ring-shaped tank for a supply of cooling fluid, said block having a flange extending inwardly and downwardly from the inner surface of the rim, and webs positioned between the flange and the rim and slanting upwardly with the upper ends of the webs spaced from the junction between the rim and the flange, said block being held in predetermined relation to the means beneath the block so that the lower edges of the rim and flange extend into the tank.

7. In a wire drawing apparatus, a wire block rotatable about a vertical axis, said block having a rim about which wire is coiled, means beneath the block for providing a ring-shaped tank for a supply of cooling fluid, said block having a flange extending inwardly and downwardly from the inner surface of the rim, and webs positioned between the flange and the rim and slanting upwardly with the upper ends of the webs spaced from the junction between the rim and the flange, said block being held in predetermined relation to the means beneath the block so that the lower edges of the rim and flange extend into the tank, and means for maintaining the water in the ring-shaped tank at a predetermined temperature.

8. In a wire drawing apparatus, a wire block rotatable about a vertical axis, said block having a rim about which wire is coiled, means beneath the block for providing a ring-shaped tank for a supply of cooling fluid, said block having a flange extending inwardly and downwardly from g the inner surface of the rim, and webs positioned between the flange and the rim and slanting upwardly with the upper ends of the webs spaced from the junction between the rim and the flange, said block beingheld in predetermined relation to the means beneath the block so that the lower edges of the rim and flange extend into the tank, and means for cooling the water in the ring-shaped tank to a predetermined temperature.

CARL E. TIDEMAN. 

